Disposable portable double-bottom-lift handled carton

ABSTRACT

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a carton cut-out sheet including a double (two side-byside portions) flat-faced strip having an elongated shape with loop handles formed at each of opposite ends and adjacent one of the loop-handle ends, a parallel strip portion being integral therewith extending parallel to the handle-strip portion and the additional strip portion having at each of opposite ends securing latch elements such that each of the latch elements at each of the opposite ends of the second strip portion are lockable one to the other when folded upwardly to meet one-another, there being a crease line dividing the two parallel strip portions along the area points of connection therebetween, and along the remainder of the lengths of the two parallel strips there being a severence of the strip portions one from the other, and there being transverse width-crease lines extending commonly across both of the strips at spaced-apart points along the axial longitudinal length of the strip portions such as to define corresponding side-by-side separate bottom sections, one each for each of the strip portions, along the severence such that when bent-up along one of the width-crease lines adjacent the area of connection, and when bent (folded) along the dividing crease line, the bottom of the second strip portion is placeable over the upper face of the first strip portion, and upon the bringing together of the opposite loop handles, thereafter the opposite-end latch elements are pullable upwardly and together around the respective handle elements. The result of such construction and the folding thereof is a folded carton such as that shown in FIG. 5, in which by lifting the folded carton by simultaneously both loop handles by the placing of the fingers therethrough, the lifting force serves to support the inner bottom by virtue of the pulling upwardly on the edges of the outer bottom by the respective handle elements, while concurrently the locked latch elements are pulled upwardly whereby the inner bottom also contributes to the lifting and supporting of any contents within the carton.

United States Patent [191 Schaerf DISPOSABLE PORTABLE DOUBLE-BOTTOM-LIFTHANDLED CARTON [76 lnyer tor; Henry C. Schaerf, 360 East 72nd S treet,New York, NY. 10021 [22] Filed: Nov. 21, 1973 [21] Appl. N0.: 417,971

Primary ExaminerLeonard D. Christian [5 7] ABSTRACT In a preferredembodiment of the present invention, there is provided a carton cut-outsheet including a double (two side-by-side portions) flat-faced striphaving an elongated shape with loop handles formed at each of oppositeends and adjacent one of the loop-handle ends, a parallel strip portionbeing integral therewith extending parallel to the handle-strip portionand the additional strip portion having at each of opposite endssecuring latch elements such that 5] Feb. 18, 1975 each of the latchelements at each of the opposite ends of the second strip portion arelockable one to the other when folded upwardly to meet one-another,there being a crease line dividing the two parallel strip portions alongthe area points of connection therebetween, and along the remainder ofthe lengths of the two parallel strips there being a severence of thestrip portions one from the other, and there being transversewidth-crease lines extending commonly across both of the strips atspaced-apart points along the axial longitudinal length of the stripportions such as to define corresponding side-by-side separate bottomsections, one each for each of the strip portions, along the severencesuch that when bent-up along one of the width-crease lines adjacent thearea of connection, and when bent (folded) along the dividing creaseline, the bottom of the second strip portion is placeable over the upperface of the first strip portion, and upon the bringing together of theopposite loop handles, thereafter the opposite-end latch elements arepullable upwardly and together around the respective handle elements.The result of such construction and the folding thereof is a foldedcarton such as that shown in FIG. 5, in which by lifting the foldedcarton by simultaneously both loop handles by the placing of the tingers'therethrough, the lifting force serves to support the inner bottom byvirtue of the pulling upwardly on the edges of the outer bottom by therespective handle elements, while concurrently the locked latch elements are pulled upwardly whereby the inner bottom also contributes tothe lifting and supporting of any contents within the carton.

8 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures 1. DISPOSABLE PORTABLE DOUBLE-BOTTOM-LIFTHANDLED CARTON This invention relates to a new and portable disposablecarryout food carton.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION Prior to the present invention, there haveexisted numerous types and designs of portable cardboard, plastic ormetal cartons for the carrying of drinks, various foods such as chicken,pizza, and the like, particularly as sold in delicatessens, andsupermarkets. A major difficulty in the practical use of many of thesecartons has been the lack of strength of the carton to support anysubstantially large or even moderate amount of weight particularly wherehot foods are involved which steam or sweat or otherwise wet the bottomof the carton, and similarly the same is true for cold materials whichmight melt or sweat and wet the bottom of the carton. Sanitation also isa major concern, it being desirable that any carton be so constructed asto substantially exclude outside foreign dirt or other matter that maybe upon a surface onto which the carton is placed or set, such as mightreach the food through corner crack in the carton. However, of major andcontrolling importance to the party utilitizing such cartons in abusiness of sending-out foods, the carton while achieving the advantagesovercoming or otherwise avoiding the abovetype difficulties, mustconcurrently be of such a design and structure and mechanism of puttingthe cartons together, that such putting-together .may be done in aminimum short period of time and the carton structure must be of verylow cost, in order that the send-outfood businesses or otherfood-packaging businesses may work with low cost materials rapidly whileattaining the above-desired ends, together with a resulting carton withaesthetically appealing appearance and practical size and carryingfacilities, while being disposable in its nature without anyconsequential economic loss.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION DISCLOSURE Accordingly, objects of the presentinventioninclude the overcoming of disadvantages and difficulties of thetype discussed above.

Other objects become apparent from the preceding and followingdisclosure.

One or more objects of the present invention are obtained by theinvention as defined herein.

In the present invention, the carton formed iseasily put-together from asingle sheet strip cut to a predetermined shape which includessubstantially two parallel strips joined near one end thereof, withopposite ends of a first one of the strips having handle elements as apart of the shape, and with each of opposite ends of a second stripportion having latching elements as a part of the shape whereby oppositeends may be latched together during the folding of the carton, each ofthe opposite latch-ends having two latching elements matable with thetwo latching elements of the opposite end of the second strip portion.Preferably the two strip portions include fold creases extendingcommonly across both of the strips at points along which the strips aresevered from one-another such as to define corresponding bottom areasfor each of the parallel strips, and there also being a fold lineextending along the line of direction axially aligned with the line ofseverence between the severed portion of the parallel strips. By virtueof the preferred and inventive shape of the present invention, it ispossible to carry sweaty food materials or wet-type food material withadded security against a rupture of the bottom by virtue of a doublebottom, together with the fact that by the structure of the presentinventive carton, the lifting force is obtained such that each of thedouble-bottom portions serves to contribute lifting support oneindependent of the other, relative to the weight of the contents ratherthan merely one bottom being an absorbant pad without offering anyindependent lifting-support to the contents. The lifting support of thepresent inventive carton, when folded into carton form, is by virtue ofthe turned-up latched ends of the inside-bottom being pulled upwardlywhen the carton is carried by the handles by virtue of the fact of thelatched ends extending huggingly around the handle extensions such as topull inwardly the handle extension in order that a lifting by thehandles causes the handle extensions to pull upwardly on the latchedends, while at the same time the handle extension by their connection to(extension of) the outside bottom edges on opposite edges of the outsidebottom pull upwardly on the opposite edges of the outside bottom tothereby cause the outside bottom to support the inside bottom with alifting force. This relationship can be better understood by referenceto the Figures as follow, whereupon the other advantages andfullfillment of the objects of the invention are also obtained.

. THE FIGURES FIG. 1 illustrates an elevation plan view of a cut-outsheet material typically of cardboard, of the shape of a preferredembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates a still further preferred embodiment in in-partelevation plan view, illustrating an additional flange appendage asextending from an identified corresponding portion to that of FIG. 1,except thatin FIG. 2 the portions are identified with prime designationsfor corresponding numerals.

FIG. 3, FIG. 4, and FIG. 5 are perspective views which illustrate theprogressive steps and resulting folded carton for the folding of acarton of a preferred embodiment of the above-noted FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION With reference to the FIG. 1embodiment, there is disclosed a cut-out sheet of cardboard as cut outstructure 6, having two separate elongated strip portions 7 and 8extending axially along side one-another in parallel relationship havinga severence 19 extending up to point 20 at which a crease line axiallyaligned with the severence continues for the remaining length of thesheet, on each of opposite sides of the crease line from point 20 therebeing side portions 10 and 11, and two bottom portions as designatedabove as strip portions 7 and 8 being on opposite sides of the severencel9, and also the side portions 9 and 12 being on opposite sides of theseverence l9. Extending from each of opposite axial ends of the stripportion sides 10 and 9 are handle extensions 13a and 13b separated fromthe respective sides 10 and 9 (as illustrated) by the fold lines 21b and21a. As a part of each handle extension, there is a shaped handle 14a,and 14!), as illustrated, having annulus space and 14d for a person toplace his fingers therethrough for the grasping of the handles.Similarly at opposite ends of the strip portion endingin side portions11 and 12, there are latch angularly extending portions a, 15b, 16a, and16b, with respective slits extending in opposite direction for 15aversus 16a, and 15b versus 16b, such that when folded the 15a islatchable with the 16a, and the 15b is latch-. able with the 16b. Theportions i.e., separate bottom portions 7 and 8 are defined between thefold or crease lines 22b and 22a respectively and between the fold lines23b and 23a respectively. Although this FIG. 1 embodiment is not shownin the folded state, the FIG. 2 embodiment is identical in all respectsto the FIG. 1 embodiment, except that the FIG. 2 embodiment is fur therpreferred in the including of a leg extension portions 26a, 26b, and260, having fold lines 27a, 27b, and 27c, and accordingly the FIG. 1embodiment would be folded the same as indicated for the FIG. 2embodiment for which the folding into a carton is illustrated in FIGS. 3through 5.

In the FIG. 2 embodiment, the leg extension portions 26a, 26b, and 260formed or defined by crease lines 27a, 27b, and 270, form additionalcircumscribing sides within the folded carton in the manner shown inFIGS. 3, 4, and 5, a primary benefit being the closing of the otherwiseopen corner spaces in the folded carton. The parts and/or elements ofthe FIGS. 2-5 embodiment correspond to the same numerals of FIG. 1,although FIG. 2 numerals are primed as 8' versus 8. Accordingly, theFIG. 3 shows the carton after'folding upward along lines 22b and 23b,and thereafter folding at the line such that the bottom portion 8' isturned to overlie bottom portion 7. The handle extensions 9' and 10 arethen folded upwardly and over such that handle loops 14b and 14a lieflushly opposing oneanother as shown in FIG. 5, whereupon the latchmembers 15b and 16b are locked together, and latch members 15a and 16aare locked together at their respective slits 17a, 17b, 18a and 18b.Lifting on the handles 14b and 14a lift up on the locked latchextensions 15a, 15b, 16a and 16b, whereby the bottom 8' supports theweight of contents; the upward lifting force on the handle loops pullsup on the walls 10 and 9 and on the bottom 7, thus the bottom 7'supportingly lifting upwardly on the overlying bottom 8.

It is within the scope of thepresent invention to make suchmodifications and variations and substitution of equivalents as would beapparent to a person of ordinary skill.

I claim:

I. A portable container device comprising in combination: a sheetstructure having opposite upper and lower substantially flat faces, thesheet structure in cluding two portions separated by a line of severanceextending substantially more than half a length of the sheet structureand a first fold line aligned with and in series with the line ofseverence and extending the remaining length of the sheet structure fromthe termination of the line of severence, the first fold line extendingthe remaining length between the two portions, and including at leasttwo additional third and fourth fold lines spaced apart and parallel toone-another extending across both portions at points where the portionsare severed from one-another, the third and fourth fold lines extendingthe width of the sheet structure, opposite ends of the length of one ofthe portions of the sheet structure including extensions shaped asopposite-end handle structures, and each of opposite ends of the lengthof the other portion including extensions shaped to form latching meansfor latching one end latching means to an opposite end latching meanslockably.

2. A portable container device of claim 1, in which each locking meansextension includes two diverging leg structures.

3. A portable container device of claim 2, in which each leg structureincludes a legfold line extending transversly across the width of theleg structure on upper and lower surfaces thereof extending from apredetermined outer side edge of the leg to a more distally locatedpredetermined point along an inner side edge of the leg.

4. A portable container device of claim 3, in which there is included afold line extending transversely across the width ofthehandle-structures portion, there being such a fold line at each ofopposite ends of the handle-structures portion with eachhandle-structures portion fold line separating each handle-structureextension from the portion from which it extends.

5. A portable container device of claim 4, in which the latching meansof opposite ends include oppositedly-directed severences extendingwidthwise across a portion of each respective leg structure such thatleg structures of opposite ends are matable along the severed portionsthereof.

6. A portable container device of claim 5, in which eachhandle-structure extension defines an annularlyshaped handlecorresponding to that at an opposite of its commonly integralintermediate portion such that the respective opposite-end handles areface-to-face matchable to one-another to facilitate grasping bothhandle-structure extensions in one hand with the fingers of the handthrough the matched annulus space of the two face-to-facehandle-structure extensions.

7. A portable container device of claim 6, including a laterallyextending flange having opposite parallel sides which when folded servesto provide an inner second and circumscribing enclosing wall within afolded carton structure.

8. A portable container device of claim 1, including a laterallyextending flange having opposite parallel sides which when folded servesto provide an inner second and circumscribing enclosing wall within afolded carton structure.

1. A portable container device comprising in combination: a sheetstructure having opposite upper and lower substantially flat faces, thesheet structure including two portions separated by a line of severanceextending substantially more than half a length of the sheet structureand a first fold line aligned with and in series with the line ofseverence and extending the remaining length of the sheet structure fromthe termination of the line of severence, the first fold line extendingthe remaining length between the two portions, and including at leasttwo additional third and fourth fold lines spaced apart and parallel toone-another extending across both portions at points where the portionsare severed from one-another, the third and fourth fold lines extendingthe width of the sheet structure, opposite ends of the length of one ofthe portions of the sheet structure including extensions shaped asopposite-end handle structures, and each of opposite ends of the lengthof the other portion including extensions shaped to form latching meansfor latching one end latching means to an opposite end latching meanslockably.
 2. A portable container device of claim 1, in which eachlocking means extension includes two diverging leg structures.
 3. Aportable container device of claim 2, in which each leg structureincludes a leg fold line extending transversly across the width of theleg structure on upper and lower surfaces thereof extending from apredetermined outer side edge of the leg to a more distally locatedpredetermined point along an inner side edge of the leg.
 4. A portablecontainer device of claim 3, in which there is included a fold lineextending transversely across the width of the handle-structuresportion, there being such a fold line at each of opposite ends of thehandle-structures portion with each handle-structures portion fold lineseparating each handle-structure extension from the portion from whichit extends.
 5. A portable container device of claim 4, in which thelatching means of opposite ends include oppositedly-directed severencesextending widthwise across a portion of each respective leg structuresuch that leg structures of opposite ends are matable along the severedportions thereof.
 6. A portable container device of claim 5, in whicheach handle-structure extension defines an annularly-shaped handlecorresponding to that at an opposite of its commonly integralintermediate portion such that the respective opposite-end handles areface-to-face matchable to one-another to facilitate grasping bothhandle-structure extensions in one hand with the fingers of the handthrough the matched annulus space of the two face-to-facehandle-structure extensions.
 7. A portable container device of claim 6,including a laterally extending flange having opposite parallel sideswhich when folded serves to provide an inner second and circumscribingenclosing wall within a folded carton structure.
 8. A portable containerdevice of claim 1, including a laterally extending flange havingopposite parallel sides which when folded serves to provide an innersecond and circumscribing enclosing wall within a folded cartonstructure.